I”ve released Doggie Style: The Complete Dog Boy on the CO2 Imprint

July 3, 2013

Indy comics legend Steve Lafler has published a 488 page collection of his seminal alternative comic book, Dog Boy. The frisky dog-headed lad was introduced in Lafler’s title Guts #3 in 1982. Subsequently, the artist published seven issues of Dog Boy on his Cat-Head Comics imprint. Dog Boy was then picked up by Fantagraphics for a ten issue run.

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Lafler worked furiously over a six year stretch on Dog Boy in his classic brush and ink style, mixing influences from Will Eisner, Robert Crumb and Jack Kirby into his own brand of bombastic storytelling.

“My idea was to freely improvise every working moment, getting fresh inspiration on the page. At times I produced spectacular, even transcendental work, while other pages simply found a beer-guzzling Dog Boy chasing cars and biting police officers” reports Lafler.

From the introduction by Stephen Beaupre:

“If you are holding this book, you have already won the lottery. You are a champ. You drink for free. This is Dog Boy! These stories include enough active ingredient to make your knees wobble. This is not cutesy test-marketed juvenilia sucking up for a development deal.”

Lafler presents his new collection to the public with a publishing bash at San Francisco’s Mercury Cafe (201 Octavia St.) July 25 at 7:00 p.m. Both paperback and hardbound editions of Doggie Style will be on hand for signing. Entertainment will be provided by The Dick Nixon Experience, Lafler’s own country punk band.

Doggie Style is available as a print-on-demand book from CO2 of Philadelphia, the brain-child of comic industry veterans Gerry Giovinco and Bill Cucinotta. Lafler has launched a Kickstarter campaign to generate funds for a modest print run for the book launch event at the Mercury Cafe.